1 Learning from history

Conversations about mental health have traditionally been difficult and challenging, and often consciously avoided. Historically, this can be traced back to the ways in which society used to deliberately segregate and silence those with poor mental health. A notable example of this is how, in Victorian times, people experiencing mental health illness and learning disabilities were admitted to asylums, segregated from their families and communities and hidden from the public eye (NICE, 2018). This segregation, which has continued in many forms over the years, meant society had no need to initiate conversations about mental health, and a culture evolved where people did not know how to start such conversations. The stigma surrounding mental health was exacerbated, and conversations about mental health may have been avoided for fear that they might lead to institutionalisation by the relevant authorities.

Educational provision reinforced this stigma through its use of derogatory language in educational policy and the lack of differentiation between mental health and learning disabilities. For example, those with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, or who were assessed as below average intelligence, were classified as educationally sub-normal (ESN) and this language was formalised in the 1944 Education Act in the UK. The label ‘ineducable’ was also introduced in the 1944 Education Act regarding children with learning disabilities (The Open University, 2022). This highly offensive language was used both about and to learners, and promoted an unfounded belief that children and young people who experienced mental illness, or learning difficulties, were less intelligent than others. Ethnic minority pupils were disproportionately classified as ESN, and this contributed to educational inequalities for this group. It was not until the updated Education Act in 1981 that ESN was abolished as a defining category, and inclusive education became enshrined in legislation.

The legacy of the treatment of children, young people and adults experiencing mental health illness by public bodies, such as in health and education, continues to influence the ways in which mental health is, or isn’t, talked about. Societal and cultural norms establish over decades, and it is good that conversations about mental health are now more frequent and familiar. It is perhaps shocking, but relevant, to consider that adult learners whom you teach might be first- or second-generation learners of children classified as ESN when they attended school or may even have directly experienced ESN classification themselves. Self-perceptions acquired from such derogatory labels are likely to have negatively impacted on educational perspectives and aspirations for learning success.

More recently, educational institutions have established organisational cultures and policies which promote transparency and openness in starting conversations about mental health with adult learners. These aim to encourage disclosure so that supportive arrangements can be discussed, agreed and established. However, these changes are a work in progress and can be variable in success. Research undertaken by The Open University has revealed that learners experiencing mental ill-health are very reticent to ask for support from their educator (Lister et al., 2021). Learners reported that knowing their educators were supportive and genuinely cared about their mental health needs made a big difference to their sense of attachment to their learning organisation. As a result of completing this course, you may be able to trailblaze mental health conversations for both learners and staff within your organisation.